Astronomers have found the Milky Way’s first known ‘feather’

The gaseous structure bridges two of the galaxy’s spiral arms

image of the milky way galaxy

The Milky Way’s spiral arms, shown in this artist’s illustration, may have feathery bridges of gas connecting them, a new study suggests.

JPL-Caltech/NASA

The Milky Way has a “feather” in its cap.

A long, thin filament of cold, dense gas extends jauntily from the galactic center, connecting two of the galaxy’s spiral arms, astronomers report November 11 in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.